Jose Mourinho: This is where it has all gone wrong for Chelsea this season

Over the summer the Portuguese allowed his men extra time off to recharge their batteries after winning the Premier League.

It hasn't gone to plan but Mourinho insists it was the best plan of attack.

**CHELSEA PREPARE FOR TEL-AVIV**

Chelsea train ahead of clash with Maccabi Tel Aviv

STARSPORT bring you photos of Chelsea in training ahead of their match with Maccabi Tel Aviv.

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“There are no miracles, nobody can be 11 months at the top of their form”

Jose Mourinho

Mourinho said: "We decided last summer to give the players a proper holiday.

"We thought that they did a lot in the previous season and they were involved in consecutive competitions.

"We had players in the Copa America too, players involved in international matches when they should be on holiday, so we decided to give them a proper holiday, believing that the crucial period of the season starts in February.

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"What we couldn’t imagine is the pressure of the bad results would push us in the direction of so many bad results.

"Another approach is not to give proper holidays, it is to give them two weeks of holiday and to start the pre-season very, very early and then pay the price later, because there are no miracles, nobody can be 11 months at the top of their form."